Bailey was the nation’s No. 2 prospect in his high school class and Harper was No. 3, according to composite rankings of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports. The impact they can have as freshman teammates became apparent on Oct. 17 when Rutgers faced St. John’s in a preseason exhibition. Rutgers lost, 91-85, but Bailey scored 25 points and Harper added 20.
“Dylan, for a freshman, he’s got so much control,” St. John’s coach Rick Pitino said after the game. “He plays like a senior. He’s so much under control. He’s got a lot of Clyde Frazier in him, the way he plays. He was amazing. Ace just has great talent. Both of them are great. I think they’re terrific. Obviously they deserve the ranking that they’re getting.”